Total extended mass layoff events decreased over the year from 2,008 to 1,624. Over-the-year decreases have been recorded for seven consecutive quarters in the numbers of extended mass layoff events.

The number of extended mass layoff events declined in 16 of the 18 major private nonfarm industry sectors over the year ending in the second quarter of 2011.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. Extended mass layoff data for the most recent quarter are preliminary and are subject to revision. For more information, see "Extended Mass Layoffs — Second Quarter 2011" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-11-1186. The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single employer filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week period.